Revisiting the 'Miracle on the Hudson' five years later

Passengers stand on the wings of a U.S. Airways plane as a ferry pulls up to it after it landed in the Hudson River in New York
Image by Dave Lucas Reuters

Emergency personnel search for passengers after a U.S. Airways plane landed in the Hudson River in New York
Image by Dave Lucas Reuters

Passengers are rescued after a U.S. Airways plane crashed into the Hudson River in New York
Image by Dave Lucas Reuters

Passengers are rescued after a U.S. Airways plane landed in the Hudson River in New York
Image by Dave Lucas Reuters

Passengers wait to be rescued after a U.S. Airways plane crashed into the Hudson River in New York
Image by Dave Lucas Reuters

An inflated life jacket floats in the water after a U.S. Airways plane landed in the Hudson River in New York
Image by Dave Lucas Reuters

Passengers are rescued after a U.S. Airways plane landed in the Hudson River in New York
Image by Dave Lucas Reuters

Divers swim beside a U.S. Airways plane after it landed in the Hudson River in New York
Image by Dave Lucas Reuters

Passengers are rescued after a U.S. Airways plane landed in the Hudson River in New York
Image by Dave Lucas Reuters

Rescue workers arrive near the scene of a U.S. Airways plane crash in the Hudson River in New York
Image by Dave Lucas Reuters

The tailfin of the US Airways Airbus A320 jetliner which is secured to the side of the seawall of the Hudson River is seen awaiting removal in New York
Image by Dave Lucas Reuters

Passengers are rescued after a U.S. Airways plane landed in the Hudson River in New York
Image by Dave Lucas Reuters

Passengers wait to be rescued after a U.S. Airways plane landed in the Hudson River in New York
Image by Dave Lucas Reuters

An injured person is loaded into an ambulance near the scene of a U.S. Airways plane crash in the Hudson River in New York
Image by Dave Lucas Reuters

Passengers stand on the wings of a U.S. Airways plane as a ferry pulls up to it after it landed in the Hudson River in New York
Image by Dave Lucas Reuters

A passenger is transported by emergency personnel after a U.S. Airways plane landed in the Hudson River in New York
Image by Dave Lucas Reuters

A seat from a U.S. Airways plane floats in the water after it crashed into the Hudson River in New York
Image by Dave Lucas Reuters

US Airways airplane that crashed is raised out of Hudson River in New York
Image by Dave Lucas Reuters

Capt. Sullenberger and 1st Officer Skiles go through their pre-flight routine before leaving for North Carolina at LaGuardia Airport in New York
Image by Dave Lucas Reuters

Revisiting the 'Miracle on the Hudson' five years later

By Julianne Cassidy. CREATED Jan 15, 2014

Five years ago today, Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger III and First Officer Jeff Skiles safely landed an Airbus A319 on the Hudson River. After departing from LaGuardia Airport, the jet soon lost both engines after striking geese. All 155 passengers and crew members survived the frigid splash landing, thus named the "Miracle on the Hudson."

"The incident, which has gone into aviation lore as one of the more remarkable stories in modern aviation, captivated viewers across the USA as the rescue played out on live TV," reports USA Today. "Sullenberger went on to become something of a national celebrity in the years since the landing."

http://twitpic.com/135xa - There's a plane in the Hudson. I'm on the ferry going to pick up the people. Crazy.

Twitter was first to report the miracle in live-time, and subsequently put itself on the map due to the extensive media coverage following. "There's a plane in the Hudson. I'm on the ferry going to pick up the people. Crazy," tweeted on-site bystander Jānis Krūms.

According to CNBC, "Exactly 32 minutes later, the man who first reported 'The Miracle on the Hudson' was interviewed live on MSNBC."

"It changed everything," Jack Dorsey, Twitter co-founder, told CNBC in a 2013 interview. "Suddenly the world turned its attention because we were the source of news-- and it wasn't us, it was the person in the boat using the service, which is even more amazing."

Ferry operators from the boat Krūms was on, along with US Airways Flight 1548 family: Sullenberger, Skiles, and passengers are meeting at the Hudson River today to celebrate the fifth anniversary of their blessed rescue.

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